WATER WEEK! Sailor Brown books place in Europeans
11:50am Thursday 3rd July 2008
LONDON 2012 Olympic hope Andrew Brown has qualified for sailing’s Laser Radial Youth European Championships.
He targeted taking part in the Europeans in Douarnenez, France, on July 25 despite a busy year focusing on GCSE exams at school.
The 16-year-old from Appleton will be competing in Brittany thanks to succeeding at qualifying events in Portsmouth, Weymouth and Pwlhelli.
Royal Yachting Association national youth squad member Brown, who won the Topper World Championships in 2006, also plans to contest the week-long men’s radial Europeans in Nieuwpoort, Belgium, from July 12 and the UK Nationals at Abersoch in August.
Meanwhile, Brown showed his adaptability when he was part of a six-person team from Budworth Sailing Club that won the National Junior 12-hour Team Race at Southport on Saturday.
Brown trained hard for the two-man boat event, which requires non-stop close teamwork, understanding and communication for 12 hours, with crews swapping over by sailing back to the quayside.
Brown’s stints were sailed with Katy Greenwood and they started the race in difficult gusting winds off the beach.
By the end of their first session on the water, lasting two-and-a-half hours, they had gained a three-minute lead that was never lost.